This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I spent my first year in Toronto living in a bachelor apartment with a roommate. When that lease was up, my voluntary cellmate and I parted ways, he moved back to St. Catharines, and I, well, I had nowhere to go.
I was determined to stay in the 416, though. Every fabric of my being told me I needed to be there, which was unfortunate because I was making less than $1,200 a month working at Starbucks at the time.
So, I did what any respectable person who doesn't have enough funds to get a place in the city would do. I mooched.
I rang up a few of my best friends and asked them to let me couch surf, to which they offhandedly agreed, and just like that, I had entered a new chapter of my life. A time I like to call my "fumbling period."
It was an era that taught me a lot about myself, which is why I'm sharing with you the six things I wish I had known about couch surfing before I did it.
You won't save any money
The only silver lining I envisioned for myself as I entered into my nomad phase was that it might actually save me some money.
My friends did not intend to charge me rent for squatting in their living rooms, which meant my $500 biweekly cheque from my job should mostly be going into my savings, right?
Wrong. I spent so much money on commuting to work and food while couch surfing that I barely pocketed enough to get by on.
It didn't help that I also had just enough student loans and credit card debt hanging over my head to leave me virtually penniless at the end of each month. Fun times.
It turns out money goes quickly in Toronto regardless of whether or not you actually have a room or home to call your own.
You can end up stuck outside if you're not careful
I learned this lesson the hard way. It was Halloween of 2015, and I had just started couch-surfing at a friend's apartment in Parkdale. I didn't have my own keys, and my "roommate" was out of town, so the smart thing would've been to stay in for the night.
However, I decided that going out to a party was the move. I left the apartment unlocked, assuming that I'd still be able to get back in when I returned.
Unfortunately for me, my friend returned to the apartment hours after I left because he forgot something and locked me out.
You can imagine my heartbreak when I returned "home" after a night of costumed drinking to find out that I'd be spending the next 12 hours outside, a situation only made worse by the fact that I was dressed like a kangaroo.
You should invest in earplugs and a quality sleep mask
People don't care about your sleep schedule when you're sleeping on their couch. It doesn't matter how good of friends you are. They just don't.
They'll still come marching into their living room in the middle of the night, looking for a snack, just as you are about to hit that REM sleep bliss and start a conversation.
All these reasons and more are why I recommend that anyone facing a couple of months of couch surfing invest in quality earplugs and a sleeping mask.
You still won't sleep well, but it does make things more bearable. Trust me, small wins feel big when you're trying to exist below the poverty line. So take them when you can get them.
Holding down a job will be the absolute worst
If you hate working now, imagine doing it, knowing full well that you'll still be broke and have no place to unwind at the end of your shift. That's a rough deal.
My day-to-day during this period often involved peeling myself off a couch at 4:00 a.m. so I could wait at a mildly dangerous bus stop and commute to my Starbucks for a 5:00 a.m. opening shift.
When I got home around 1 or 2, I would make myself a couple of packets of Mr. Noodles, plop back down on my Chesterfield home, and wait for the cycle to start again.
The support of my friends and family got me through the three months that I was in that bleak situation. So I can only imagine how others do it for years without help. My heart goes out to them.
Most people's generosity have an expiry date
Look, no one wants you on their couch forever. But, after a couple of weeks, you become a burden that most people, even those who claim to love you, don't want to bear anymore.
I didn't understand how inconvenient my couch-surfing would be for my friends. I was naive enough to think it would be a fun experience. It was at times, but most people just wanted me to get my act together quickly so they could walk into their living room without seeing me.
None of my helpers ever told me to pack my bags and hit the road. They were far too kind for that. However, I could feel their discomfort enough to get the heck out of dodge.
I'll always appreciate what my friends did for me, but if I were put in a position where I had nowhere to go again, couch-surfing would probably be the last option I would pick.
Your social life will take a big pause
It's hard to hang out with friends or casually date when you are couching it. Sure, you can go out and meet people. But I was also broke, so my only real option was to hang out at another friend's apartment, which considering I was doing that all day, every day anyway, seemed pretty pointless.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is hard enough when you got your ducks in line. You're in survival mode when sleeping in other people's living rooms. You have neither the time nor energy to shoot the breeze.
I know Toronto well enough now to fully understand that it doesn't balance out your bad times with good times. It just takes its toll, and you either figure out how to pay it or not.
I eventually moved in with one of the friends whose couch I'd been sleeping on after his roommate bailed on him. It was a much-needed lucky break.
I remember moving into the room and thinking to myself, "I'm never going to take this for granted ever again."
Hopefully, this article has given you some tips on surviving in the city when times get rough. If I can do it, anyone can. So, don't give up.
I Couch Surfed In Toronto For 3 Months & Here Are 6 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me
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